Visioning Forward…
What is God calling Bethlehem to do in the
future?
Where is God calling Bethlehem to go in the
future?
Who is God calling Bethlehem to serve in the
future?
These
are all exciting questions that need to be prayed on, thought about, and
discussed as we vision Bethlehem’s mission into the future. Bethlehem is being
offered a once in a ministry opportunity – the possibility to use all of the
financial gifts of the people towards mission instead of using some to pay
towards the mortgage.
So
what can members of Bethlehem expect?
Bethlehem
has signed a contract with Porchlight Homes to sell the property that once was
the orchard. We are currently in escrow. The Grand Canyon Synod lawyer, Don
Stevens, has looked over the purchase contract twice on behalf of Bethlehem.
Porchlight Homes has 90 days, until the middle of August, to decide to go
forward with the purchase or not. Provided all things go as planned the final
purchase of the land signified by closing should be about this time next year.
The land will be used for ½ home lots in what is called a “pocket
neighborhood.”
Bethlehem members need to begin to ask
themselves these questions:
What ministries do we want Bethlehem to be remembered for?
What ministries does our community need?
What ministries do we currently have?
What ministries do we want to expand on?
What ministries do we have energy around that we want to create?
Where is God leading Bethlehem outside our walls?
If you are interested in being part of this
visioning mark your calendar right now for Sunday, November 13th
from 11:00am to 5:00pm. This meeting is strongly recommended for all council
and staff members and open for all members to attend who want their voices
heard in the visioning process. This meeting will decide the direction
Bethlehem will take towards mission in the next five years. This vision will
then be used to create a mission plan and thus direct the congregation towards
the use of mission dollars in the future.
Bethlehem will be led through
the visioning process by the Reverend John Schaumburg, who is blessing us with
the wisdom and knowledge he has gained through his years of ministry and from
serving the Grand Canyon Synod as the Director of Mission for the past several
years.
Once
a missional vision has been decided upon, the council will prepare a list of
items they feel will further this new vision. This list will be made available
to the congregation at the 2017 Annual Meeting in January. At this time
additional items may be added to the list from the congregation.
At
a special congregational meeting in February or March of 2017 the congregation
will vote for their top five ministry items to be funded by the proceeds of the
selling of the property. The overall top
five ministry items voted on by the congregation will then be incorporated into
the mission plan.
When
the purchase of the land is finalized and all monies have been received, the
distribution of items that will be funded by the selling of the property will
have already been voted on by the congregation and the new five year mission
plan can seamlessly be put into place.
If
you have any questions or suggestions about this process please contact either
Pastor Chon or Council President Bill Gappa as they will have the most current
and up to date information.
It
is an exciting time to be a member of Bethlehem!
No comments:
Post a Comment